--- name: gladia-using-cli description: Terminal transcription of audio files and URLs with the Gladia CLI (gladia speech-to-text). Use when the user has gladia-cli installed, wants shell-based transcription, or asks an agent to transcribe audio then answer questions about the content. For audio intelligence features not available as CLI flags, use the SDK skills instead. license: MIT --- # Gladia CLI The [Gladia CLI](https://github.com/gladiaio/gladia-cli/) (`gladia`) transcribes pre-recorded audio from the terminal. Local files are auto-uploaded; URLs are passed directly to the API. > **CLI vs SDK**: use the CLI for quick terminal workflows when `gladia` is on PATH. For app integration or audio intelligence not exposed as CLI flags, see [gladia-sdk-integration](../gladia-sdk-integration/SKILL.md) and [gladia-audio-intelligence](../gladia-audio-intelligence/SKILL.md). ## When to Use - User mentions gladia-cli, `gladia transcribe`, or wants quick terminal transcription - Agent should transcribe a local file, a `http(s)` URL, or a YouTube URL, then answer follow-up questions about the content - One-off transcription without writing application code **Prerequisites:** verify `gladia --version` succeeds and an API key is configured (`GLADIA_API_KEY`, `~/.gladia`, or `--gladia-key`). ## When NOT to Use - **Live / real-time audio** — use [gladia-live-transcription](../gladia-live-transcription/SKILL.md) - **Building an app or CI pipeline in code** — use [gladia-sdk-integration](../gladia-sdk-integration/SKILL.md) - **Audio intelligence not in CLI** (translation, summarization, NER, PII, audio-to-LLM) — use [gladia-audio-intelligence](../gladia-audio-intelligence/SKILL.md) with the SDK ## References Consult these resources as needed: - ./references/cli-vs-sdk.md -- CLI vs SDK routing: which features have CLI flags and which require SDK skills - ../gladia-pre-recorded-transcription/SKILL.md -- SDK pre-recorded workflow and options - ../gladia-audio-intelligence/SKILL.md -- Addons beyond CLI flags - ../gladia-troubleshooting/SKILL.md -- API key, upload, and polling errors - [gladia-cli repository](https://github.com/gladiaio/gladia-cli/) ## Setup **Install** (macOS/Linux): ```bash curl -fsSL https://github.com/gladiaio/gladia-cli/releases/latest/download/install.sh | sh ``` **Auth** — get a key at [app.gladia.io/account](https://app.gladia.io/account). Three options: ```bash # 1. Environment variable (preferred for CI and shells) export GLADIA_API_KEY= # 2. Persist locally gladia auth set # 3. Pass per command (global flag, works on any command) gladia transcribe meeting.wav --gladia-key ``` **Credential order:** `GLADIA_API_KEY` → `~/.gladia` → `--gladia-key` (first match wins) **List valid language codes:** `gladia languages` ## Commands | Command | Description | | ---------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- | | `gladia transcribe ` | Transcribe a local file, a `http(s)` URL, or a YouTube URL | | `gladia auth set ` | Save API key to `~/.gladia` | | `gladia languages` | List supported ISO 639-1 codes | ## Transcribe Flags | Flag | Default | Description | | ----------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- | | `-o`, `--output` | `text` | `text`, `json`, `json-full`, `srt`, `vtt` | | `--language` | — | Expected language(s), comma-separated (`en` or `en,fr,de`) | | `--code-switching`, `--code-switch` | off | Detect language per utterance | | `--diarize` | off | Speaker identification | | `--model` | API default | `solaria-1` or `solaria-3` | | `-v`, `--verbose` | off | Show progress while polling | Global: `--gladia-key` — API key override ## Agent Workflow: Transcribe Then Q&A 1. **Check CLI** — `gladia --version`; install or use SDK skills if missing 2. **Pick flags** — match output format and options to the user's question (tables below) 3. **Run** — `gladia transcribe [flags]`; capture stdout 4. **Answer** — ground responses **only** in captured output; cite speakers and timestamps when available 5. **Re-run if needed** — if the question requires data not in the current output (e.g. timestamps, speakers), re-transcribe with different flags 6. **Long audio** — use `-v` for progress; for very long transcripts, redirect stdout to a temp file and read selectively **Do not invent transcript content.** If output is empty or unclear, say so and suggest different flags or SDK skills. ## Output Format Selection | User need | CLI approach | | ------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------- | | Plain transcript | default or `-o text` | | Who spoke when | `--diarize -o text` or `-o json` | | Timestamps per utterance | `-o json` (utterance list with `time_begin`, `time_end`) | | Full API payload | `-o json-full` | | Subtitle file | `-o srt` or `-o vtt` (add `--diarize` for speaker labels) | | Model choice | `--model solaria-1` or `--model solaria-3` | ### Language behavior You can list all the possible languages compatible with gladia with the command `gladia languages`. | Goal | Command | | ------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- | | Auto-detect | `gladia transcribe ` | | Constrain detection | `--language en,fr,de` (does **not** enable code switching) | | Code switching | `--code-switching` (+ optional `--language` hints) | ## CLI vs SDK (summary) For full CLI vs SDK routing, see [./references/cli-vs-sdk.md](./references/cli-vs-sdk.md). | Feature | CLI | If not in CLI | | ---------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Basic transcription | `gladia transcribe` | — | | Speaker diarization | `--diarize` | [gladia-audio-intelligence](../gladia-audio-intelligence/SKILL.md) for advanced config | | Language / code-switch | `--language`, `--code-switching` | SDK for advanced `language_config` | | Translation, NER, PII, sentiment, audio-to-LLM | No | [gladia-audio-intelligence](../gladia-audio-intelligence/SKILL.md) | | API summarization addon | No | SDK (agent may summarize `-o text` output informally) | | Live streaming | No | [gladia-live-transcription](../gladia-live-transcription/SKILL.md) | ## Examples ```bash gladia transcribe meeting.wav gladia transcribe https://example.com/podcast.mp3 -o json gladia transcribe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNQXAC9IVRw gladia transcribe call.wav --diarize -o srt gladia transcribe interview.mp3 --language en,fr --code-switching -v gladia transcribe podcast.mp3 --model solaria-1 -o json-full gladia transcribe meeting.wav --gladia-key # inline key, no env or ~/.gladia needed ``` ## Common Mistakes - **Treating `--language en,fr` as code-switching** — it only constrains detection; add `--code-switching` separately for per-utterance language detection - **Answering without re-running** — timestamp or speaker questions need `-o json` or `--diarize`; plain text may lack required fields - **Inventing CLI flags** — translation, summarization, NER, and PII have no CLI flags today; route to SDK skills - **Using SDK code when CLI is requested** — if the user has `gladia` installed and wants terminal workflow, run shell commands - **Skipping auth check** — transcription fails without a valid API key in env, `~/.gladia`, or `--gladia-key` For API errors and diagnostics, see [gladia-troubleshooting](../gladia-troubleshooting/SKILL.md). ## Further Reading - [gladia-cli README](https://github.com/gladiaio/gladia-cli/) - [Pre-recorded quickstart](https://docs.gladia.io/chapters/pre-recorded-stt/quickstart)